“Don’t Come Out the House”

Metro Boomin brings the best out of 21 Savage—that is, his most savage behavior. He amplifies the horrors of 21’s dead-eyed stories the way John Carpenter amplified Michael Myers. It’s a haunting chemistry that produced 21’s two most memorable tapes: his 2016 breakout, Savage Mode, and the next year’s Halloween treat with Offset, Without Warning. Now Metro and Savage link again for “Don’t Come Out the House,” the standout cut from the former’s new album Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Through half-whispered verses and spook-filled production, the duo again bring the chills, reanimating the corpses from 21’s past (“All these bodies, I can’t sleep at night, nigga”) and threatening those who oppose him with a similar fate. Here, ASMR sensations heighten acts of violence, sending a tingle down the spine, as the mild euphoria his soft-spoken raps induce matches eerily with the dread in his words.

Co-produced with rising Memphis beatmaker Tay Keith, the thrilling “Don’t Come Out the House” feels like a bonus scene from a Without Warning director’s cut. The beat unfurls into a harpsichord mash as 21 skulks through with penetrating verses. Taken at face value, his raps can come across as simple and without surprises. He has been limited by his one-dimensionality before, an inability to see beyond what’s right in front of him; he can be a prisoner to insular thinking. But his power lies in the presentation, and his cut-to-the-chase ideas work best when he’s barreling down on his victims. These bars are some of his most effective ever, ruthlessly blunt and right in line with his character; slasher villains aren’t monologists. And make no mistake: 21 Savage is a slasher villain (“Slaughter Gang, so I keep a knife”), relishing every opportunity to remind listeners that wants to play out their greatest nightmares. (Among other fantasies: “I had a wet dream about beef,” he raps, completely deadpan.) With Metro Boomin behind him once more on “Don’t Come Out the House,” 21 Savage again finds his killer sweet spot: conjuring the adrenaline rush of a flight from terror.